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Issues
Environment Protecting Public Lands
The commitment to wilderness and public
lands runs deep in Wisconsin. Our state has produced many
great leaders in the land conservation movement including
former Senator Gaylord Nelson, Sierra Club founder John Muir,
writer and conservationist Aldo Leopold, and Wilderness Society
co-founder Sigurd Olson. In the Senate, I am a founder of
the Wilderness and Public Lands Caucus, which seeks to promote
wilderness issues.
Apostle Islands
I helped lead successful efforts to preserve
Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, which includes
21 forested islands and 12 miles of pristine shoreline and
is among the Great Lakes' most spectacular scenery. To preserve
the Apostle Islands, I worked to designate almost 80 percent
of the Apostles as federally protected wilderness. A ceremony
dedicating the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness took place at the
Apostles in 2005.
National Wildlife Refuges
To protect our public lands, we must also
increase support for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Refuge System provides critical habitat for America’s
wildlife and an unparalleled outdoor experience for millions
of Americans each year. Unfortunately, the Refuge System faces
staffing shortfalls and a maintenance backlog. I have helped
lead the Senate effort to increase funding for the Refuge
System.
Mining Reform
The General Mining Law of 1872 is badly
outdated and needs to be revamped in order to promote fiscal
responsibility and protect the environment from potentially
harmful mining practices. I introduced the Elimination
of Double Subsidies for the Hardrock Mining Industry Act
to end the “percentage depletion allowance,” which gives mining
companies what is tantamount to a double subsidy on public
lands. We also need to close the 1872 loophole that allows
valuable minerals to be mined on federal lands by private
interests for free, unlike other extractive industries like
oil or coal which pay a royalty when operating on public lands.
I support comprehensive reform of our antiquated mining laws
to encourage responsible use of public lands, promote fair
compensation to taxpayers, and help protect some of our nation’s
valuable environmental treasures.
Army Corps of Engineers
While the Army Corps of Engineers does important work, the
tragic failure of Corps-constructed levees during Hurricane
Katrina, along with years of government reports showing stunning
flaws in Corps projects, demonstrates that Corps reform must
be a national priority. I have long advocated modernization
of the Corps’ planning guidelines and independent review of
Corps projects to avoid waste of taxpayer money, prevent potential
dangers to public safety, and minimize environmental impacts.
I led the successful effort to include important Corps reforms
in the Senate version of the Water Resources Development Act
in 2007, and I was disappointed that final bill, which I opposed,
weakened those reforms. I will continue working to improve
the way the Corps operates. |
